Page 90 of The Forbidden Villain
“If something happens to me, run. Run as fast as you can while the doors are still open.”
How can I run? He doesn’t let me walk near the stairs. He even drew a red line, and he has some kind of radar. Once Istepped on it, he was inside right away, trying to teach me a lesson, but Mommy stopped him.
It resulted in me being locked in the bathroom once again while he ripped Mommy’s dress, and I found her all bruised up again.
Sometimes I think I’m like him because a monster awakens inside me too, wishing to hurt him so much so it would be him who has all these bruises and crying in pain, so he’d know what it is like to hurt like Mommy.
Whenever I share such thoughts with her, she shakes her head and tells me never to be cruel to anyone, because evil is a choice and I should always choose goodness.
According to her, it always wins, but how is our life a victory right now?
It seems like the evil monster gets everything he wants while we suffer, not that I ever share such thoughts with her.
Mama thinks I’m too smart for my age and always praises me, saying I’m just like my uncle. I hate him too.
If he is so powerful and good, where is he?
Another hard push and a cry reverberates through the walls as Mama sags against the pillows, and my eyes widen when I see the monster holding a crying baby covered in something sticky that’s blue and red. “A girl,” he says in wonder, using water to clean her up and then wrapping her in a towel. “The doctor will come here shortly, my darling. We can finally get married.” He smiles, rocking the baby in his arms. “You gave me a princess. Nothing and no one will take you away from me now.” He kisses the top of her knees and then inhales the baby’s scent, who continues to cry even harder. “Now our families will have to accept us.”
Mommy once said that the monster belongs to a powerful family that ignores his madness and keeps it hidden from everyone. That’s why he gets away with hurting us.
“Darling, look at our daughter,” he says, and I focus back on Mommy. Her eyes are closed, and she doesn’t move. “Darling.”
“Mama,” I whisper, cupping her cheek and placing my thumb against her pulse as she taught me. There is nothing. “Mama, please wake up,” I whisper again, hugging her tight, wishing for her to move, but she’s already warned me.
If there is no pulse, it means the person is dead.
Tears form in my eyes, and I shake her body, wishing for my mama to open her arms and smile at me while her scent still lingers in my nose despite everything, but the ripping pain in my chest just increases with each passing second.
“Get away from her, you stupid fuck,” the monster bellows, throwing me away. Once again, I land on the floor while the baby cries louder when he dumps her on the bed and wraps his arms around Mommy, shaking her entire body. “Open your eyes, darling!”
No matter how much he pleads with her, she stays still, and that’s when the sun streaming from the open door snags my attention.
Despite all the hurt and sobs threatening to escape from my throat, another conversation with Mama pops into my head that makes me want to rush to her once again, hoping to feel her heartbeat under my ear that always calms me down.
“Lev.” She cups my cheeks and smiles at me. “Promise me that no matter what I ask you to do, you’ll do it.” She kisses me on my forehead as I nod. “No matter how hard it is…how painful or how much you’d want to be near me…if I ask you to do something, please do it.” She rubs her splayed palm over her stomach. “This baby is doomed. I cannot save her from him. From them. They always wanted a girl so she’d inherit their throne.” Mama never explains this part to me, but according to her, the monster took her because he believed she could givehim a strong girl. “I have to protect you. And please, my baby,” She holds my gaze. “Survive no matter what. Because as long as you breathe, you win, and he loses. Never let him win.”
He continues to hug Mommy, sobbing into her neck while the baby cries, and everything in me wishes to pick her up and give her comfort, so she would know she isn’t alone.
She’s just like me, except he loves her and hates me.
I stop myself, though, and focus on the promises I gave to Mommy, as she taught me that a man always keeps his word. She learned that from her brother, although I don’t believe that.
Her brother is a liar too!
So gathering all my strength in my fist, I race upstairs and hiss when the blinding light, what Mama calls the sun, hurts my eyes while everything white greets me.
My feet step on something soft, but I don’t pay attention to it all as he bellows from the basement, “Come back here, you little bastard! She’s dead because of you!”
I glance around and spot another door, running toward it and getting outside, something billowing all around me and bringing coldness to my heated skin.
Is this the wind?
I see endless trees around me, and my bare feet hurt as they touch soil. Still, I run while thunder booms in the sky, everything darkening at once.
“Come back here!” he yells again, this time closer, and I dart to the right, farther into what Mom must call a forest, and hide in the small opening between the trees. My head grows dizzy from all the colors and scents around me, and my body hurts because I’ve never run in my life.
I freeze when he shouts, “I will find you, and then I’m going to kill you. You ruined my life!”
